Before Batman had Terry McGinnis, before Captain America had John Walker, and before Indiana Jones had Shia LaBeouf, the Green Knight had Martin Rock.
"Jolt City" (2009) is the story of the Acrobat (Rock), once sidekick to the great superhero, the Green Knight. Ten years have passed since they worked together, their relationship marred by irreconcilable differences. But when billionaire Ray Cradle, the Knight's secret identity, falls victim to cancer, what happens to the city's symbol of hope? Can no one take up the mask and stop the consistent onslaught of ravenous superfiends?
Lucky for Cradle, Rock has kept tabs on him since their falling out and has a pretty good idea of what happens next. Always putting others before himself, Rock sacrifices his personal life to keep up the city's belief that the Green Knight is an eternal force not to be reckoned with. The younger, stronger (and sometimes homeless) crimefighter loyally keeps the city at peace.
But when a demented sharpshooter threatens the life of not the Green Knight, but Rock himself, the once private citizen is suddenly thrown wildly into the spotlight. Media speculate on his dark past as he is posted on the front page of newspapers -- often beside a story of a very different nature about his masked alter ego. Can Martin Rock keep up the very public appearances of both himself, loathed by the entire population, and the Green Knight, Jolt City's beloved vigilante?
A long-time fan of superhero comics, third time Detroit-area author Tom Russell of Turtleneck Films has behind him a lifetime of research that played in the development of this very well-crafted masterwork. With it, he brings his own criticism of the genre and magnificently intertwines the timeless themes that have kept it so very popular. He also throws out the cliches that have long been beaten to death. Forget everything you ever knew about superheroes and put on the coffee; it's going to be a sleepless night.
Four years and 330 pages in the making, "Jolt City" is not just a story for superhero fans; it is a story for everyone. Though the plot largely revolves around thwarting the bad guy and saving the city, it is far more cerebral than that. The pages are evocative, intelligent, ambitious and sexual. Though the Green Knight is one in a million, Rock is all too human: He still feels heartache over his stolen childhood; still feels torn between the love of two beautiful women; and still struggles in teaming up with the enemy for a greater good.
It should also be noted that the book is self-published through Amazon's CreateSpace.com and indicative of the current state of the publishing industry. With the world economic crisis at hand, and reading material gradually moving into cyberspace, publishing houses are suffering just as much as any business and are acting accordingly: More and more manuscripts are being rejected to make room for those that they anticipate will be immediate bestsellers. Therefore, authors are trying their hands at print-on-demand services, if only just for the pride of seeing the hard work properly bound.
Self-publishing is quickly becoming the future of the publishing world, seeing as the industry increases by roughly 30 percent a year. Self-published books generally get a bad wrap because there are little-to-no standards to see a finished product. Because so much bad writing outweighs the good stuff, it's a shame that many readers may never enjoy great works such as "Jolt City."
Russell's book would most definitely circumvent the slush pile and land a publishing deal should he ever decide to send out his manuscript. Support the author and buy this book today!
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